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Dr. Mortel created the Mortel Family Charitable Foundation, now The Mortel High Hopes of Haiti Foundation, in 1997. Three schools were established through the foundation, which serve more than 1,500 children and adults.

Dr. Mortel created the Mortel Family Charitable Foundation, now The Mortel High Hopes of Haiti Foundation, in 1997. Three schools were established through the foundation, which serve more than 1,500 children and adults.

Dr. Mortel Was Pure Joy

Our community is mourning the passing of Dr. Rodrigue Mortel, M.D., who died April 22 at his Hershey home. During almost nine decades of life, Dr. Mortel was a serious physician, philanthropist, scholar and theologian.

But the thing I’m going to miss most is his laugh. Dr. Mortel had a great laugh. You’d think someone who had distinguished himself by winning awards in medicine, academia and religion, who was held in enviable esteem by thousands of people, would conduct himself rather formally when out and about in social situations. Someone with that kind of pedigree and discipline wouldn’t want to taint his sterling reputation with displays of overt emotion.

Not Dr. Mortel. No way. His laughter was always spontaneous, full-body, wholly unrestrained. If he laughed at something you said, you felt like you’d won the lottery. Dr. Mortel was not a one-note chuckler, someone who confined himself to a single way of laughing. He was not a timid laugher – not a tee-hee’er, a snickerer or a titterer. His laughter would ricochet from a great guffaw, to a howl, to a chortle, to a giggle. He would throw back his head, slap his leg, grab your arm. His entire body joined in the laugh; laughter was an aerobic exercise for him. Almost instantly, you would find yourself laughing too, even if you weren’t exactly sure what was so funny.

His laughter was pure joy. He was pure joy.

Besides his lilting Haitian accent, you would never guess that Dr. Mortel had grown up in one of the poorest countries in the world. He spoke about his early life in Haiti not to engender pity, but to help others understand what it’s truly like growing up destitute in a country where hope is a rare commodity. He emphasized that getting an education – something neither of his parents had – was the thing that saved him. He firmly believed that the only way to change his homeland was to educate the next generation of leaders, young people who would give back in some of the ways he had done.

With all his accolades and accomplishments, you might also expect Dr. Mortel to be proud or self-important. I can truly say he was one of the most humble, engaging, and charming men I’ve ever known. Don’t get me wrong, he was not a push-over. Dr. Mortel was a leader in every sense of the word, and he always seemed to have a very clear, delineated idea of what he wanted. His visions were big and bold, plans that probably would have crushed anyone else. But not Dr. Mortel. Along with his wife of 50 years, Cecile; his daughters Denise Mitchell and Renee Joy; his devoted staff, and thousands of dedicated volunteers here and in Haiti, he got it done. In 1997, Dr. Mortel created the Mortel Family Charitable foundation, now The Mortel High Hopes of Haiti Foundation, that has established three schools in St. Marc and also sponsors adult education programs in literacy, aqua agriculture, poultry and general farming. The schools serve more than 1,500 children and adults.

Dr. Mortel had a way of bringing people into his tent. One minute you’re chatting about some random topic, and the next you’re signing on the dotted line to volunteer wherever he needed you. He enlisted me several times to help with ministries at our church, St. Joan of Arc, and to work with the HHH Board. When he asked, you said “yes,” because you felt you just couldn’t refuse him. But he never strong armed or guilted you into helping; you felt honored that this amazing man wanted YOU to work with him. My husband, Tim, and I traveled with Dr. Mortel to Haiti in 2018, and served on various HHH boards and committees. It remains some of the most rewarding volunteer work we have ever done.

Watching Dr. Mortel interact with the school children in Haiti was a miraculous experience. They respected and loved him and understood that when Dr. Mortel visited, they had to be on their best behavior. When he spoke, they listened. He was one of their own, a true success story. They wanted to be like him. And with him. He would constantly be surrounded by beautiful, excited children, enthusiastically throwing himself in their midst, soaking up all the admiration and affection. The look on his face during these visits to the schools – whether with the preschoolers or the older students – was always pure bliss. And he always wanted his visitors to share in that joy.

The celebrations of Dr. Mortel’s amazing life took place in Hershey earlier this week. Hundreds came to show their respect to him and his family. I was inspired and humbled hearing once more about his long list of accomplishments. Dr. Mortel was a groundbreaking pioneer in the areas of medicine, social justice, race, and religion. His Catholic faith was especially important to him and kept him grounded throughout his long life.

Along with my late father and my husband, Dr. Mortel is one of the men I admire most in the world. He was always surrounded by good, dedicated people who loved him and loved his cause. His commitment to the people of Haiti, especially the children, was contagious. So was that laugh. I know he’s laughing in heaven with family and friends right now, and saints he’s recruited to join him in praying and working for peace in Haiti.

That laugh. That’s what I’m going to miss the most. I will always carry memories of him erupting in a guffaw or a giggle, and bringing those around him to laughter too. Rest in Peace, Dr. Mortel. We miss you already.

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